Horse-collar.



C. ROSS.

HORSE COLLAR;

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 5, 1910.

Patented Jan. 10,1911.

WITNESSES:

V fINVENmR g ATTORNEY,

CHARLES ROSS, 0F BLAIR, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR T0 BLAIR HORSE COLLARCOMPANY, OF BLAIR, NEBRASKA.

HORSE-COLLAR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, (Jr-mamas Ross, citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Blair, in the county of lVashington and State ofNebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inHorse-Collars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in horse collars of the sweenytype; that is, collars having a full shoulder or draft p0rtion of theafter-Wale on each side and the top of after-wales reduced incross-section to produce a slim-topped collar, the fore-Wale or rimbeing of the usual size; and the objects of my improvement are, first,to provide such a sweeny horse collar having a flexible top and throatwhereby the side-halves of the same may be adjusted laterally to fit theanimals neck through the medium of the hamcs and their connecting strapsor other couplings; second, to provide strong durable semi-flexibleconnections or splices to unite the rigid shoulder or draft portion withthe flexible sweeny or top and with the flexible throat; and third, toproduce in the construction of a horse collar, and conserve in its afterservice, the qualities of a flexible top or sweeny and a flexiblethroat, connected by an intermediate, full and rigid draft or shoulder.I attain these objects, with others of minor importance moreparticularly hereinafter set forth, by the collar structure illustratedin the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view ofthe complete collar from a point obliquely forward; Fig. 2, an elevationof the working or shouldcr-bearing face of the collar; Fig. 3, alongitudinal section through the after-Wale at the broken lines (Z inFigs. 1, 5 and 6; Fig. 1, is a cross-section at the broken line a inFigs. 2 and 3; Fig. 5, is a cross-section at the broken line Z) in Figs.2 and 3; and Fig. 6, is a cross-section at the broken line 0 in Figs. 2and 3.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views,and the arrowheads indicate the direction in which the views of thefigures referred to are taken at the broken lines.

The rim or fore-Wale 5, which is nearly of uniform size and shape incross-section throughout its length, I prefer to construct with a firmleather outer casing uniformly and compactly filled with a coarse longSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 5, 1910.

10, 9 and 21.

Patented Jan. 10, 1911. Serial No. 536,466.

fibrous filler 16, asstraw, to form a strong but yielding support forall parts of the after-Wale. lVhile this fore-Wale is made with a coarselong stiff fiber compactly stuffed, being comparatively small in crosssection, it is a sufiiciently yielding as well as strong support. Theafter-Wale consists of the face or liner 4: of good firm leather stockcontinuous throughout the length of the side'- halves of the collar.Opposed to said liner, to inclose and form the belly to receive thefilling, the top or straight 3 is disposed for the top or sweeny part ofthe collar; this being in a flexible part of the collar and where thereis little wear, for both utility and economy, it is made of a less firmand less expensive piece of leather; and extends downwardly inside theshoulder draft or crook 2 with a wide underlap therein.

The crook 2 at its top end widely overlaps thelower end of the straight,as shown at 17 in Fig. 3,. from which lap it extends down wardly itsnarrow lower end abutting at the eenterof the throat of the collar alike end of the crook on the opposite half of the collar. These crooks,preferably of selected firm leather stock, have then-inner edges withthe inner edges of the straights and liners sewed into the closing seam10 of the rim to secure the whole together.' The outer edges of theseparts are secured together by the ribbon-thong seam 9 throughout theentire length of the collar halves, said "seam bearing inwardly 011 itscourse along the sweeny and throat, to reduce these portions as shown,and is supplemented by a threadstitch closing seam 21 along theimmediate outer edge of the collar.

The throat portion of the after-Wale is reinforced by the innerthroat-facing piece 7, and the outer throat-facing piece 6, their innerand outer edges sewn into the seams Their overlapping ends 19 and 18,like the overlapping top ends 17 of the crooks, are left without anylateral scams or stitching across the wale, so that when the collar isflexed in adjusting, the lapping portions of the splices will slip oneach other instead of buckling and wrinkling and perhaps breaking theadjoining integral parts. The wide unsewn laps uniting the firm crooksand pliable straights form flexible splices between these parts, easingthe firmness of one into the greater flexibleness of the other and viceversa, in-

llt

stead of the abrupt change that would result from seaming these partstogether across the Wale.

Filling 15 of the throat and 13 of the sweeny, may be of any short orfine fibrous material, as short-cut straw, grain hulls, hair or wool,compacted only sufiiciently to leave these parts flexible. But thefilling l l of thedrafts or shoulders, is preferably of a coarse longfiber, as straw compacted firmly, like the filling 16 of the rim;-afacing 20 of some fine soft material is usually first placed against theliner as shown in Fig. 5; The top end of this shoulder filling is lesscompact, being slackly stuffed within the splice 17, and some of thelong coarse fibers extended above into the sweeny filling. The fillingof the sweeny is incorporated into thisslackly stuffed part, intermixedwith the upwardly projecting long fibers to form a semi-flexible fillingwithin and adjacent to the flexible splice 17, as indicated at 11 inFigs. 3 and 4:. A like splicing of the filling of the throat with thelower end of the shoulder-filling is indicated at 12 in Fig. 3. Thuswhole sections of the afterwales, including both the leather casings andthe fillings, contribute to form semi-flexible splices connecting therigid drafts or shoulders of the collar with the flexible sweenys andthroat.

A horse collarconstructed and shaped as illustrated and herein describedcan be readily adjusted to the animals neck and shoulders through themedium of the hames and their top and bottom couplings. It does notbreak or become distorted at .the junctions of its rigid and mostflexible parts and is otherwise serviceable, and comfortable to thecreature wearing and working it.

I claim:

1. A horse collar, comprising a suitable rim or fore-Wale; an after-Waleconsisting of full length side liners, straights opposed to the topportions of said liners, crooks opposed to the lower portions of saidliners and having their top ends overlapped on the lower ends of saidstraights to form yielding splices without lateral seams or stitching,

a closing seam to unite the inner edges of said liners, straights andoverlapping crooks with the edges of the casing of said forewale, aclosing seam to unite the outer edges of said liners to the outer edgesof said opposed straights and crooks, a closely compacted filling oflong coarse materials between the crooks and liners to form rigid draftsor shoulders, and a less closely compacted finer filling between thestraights and liners to form flexible tops or sweenys to saidafter-Wale.

2. A horse collar, comprising a fore-Wale, and an after-Wale havingrigid drafts or shoulders and flexible sweenys or tops connected to saidshoulders by flexible splices less flexible than said sweeny or top andalso having a flexible throat portion connected by less flexible splicesat its ends to the rigid shoulders of opposite sides of said after-Wale.

8. A horse collar, comprising a fore-Wale having a pliable casing and asubstantially uniform filling throughout; an after-Wale havingfull-length pliable side liners abutting atthe center of the throat ofthe collar, pliable tops or straights opposed to the upper portions ofsaid liners, pliable crooks opposed to the lower portions of said linersand having their upper ends overlapped on the outside of said straightswithout lateral stitching or seams, outer and inner pliablethroat-pieces overlapped on the abutted lower ends of opposite sideliners and opposite side crooks without lateral stitching or seams, aclosing seam to unite the inner edges of said liners, straights, crooksand throat-pieces into the closing seam of said fore-Wale, aclosing seamto unite the outer edges of said liners, straights, crooks and-throat-pieces, a compacted stifl' fibrous filling between the linersand the upper parts of said crooks to form rigid drafts or shoulders,

flexible throat portion to said after-Wale, and -finer less compactedfilling between said straights and the upper parts of said liners toform flexible tops to said after-Wale.

-l. A horse collar, comprising a fore-wale of substantially uniform sizeand rigidity throughout its length; an after-Wale having full-lengthside liners of firm leather, straights of less firm leather opposed tothe top portions of the liners, and also crooks of firm leather opposedto the lower portions of said liners and having their top .endsoverlapped on the lower ends of said straights to form yielding splicesthereto without lateral seams or stitching, draftfillings of long coarsestiff fibrous materialsas strawclosely compacted between said crooks andliners but less closely co1npacted at the top ends of said drafts, andtop fillings of finer more pliable fibrous materials less closelycompacted between said straights and liners, and the lower ends of thesefillings inter-compacted with the top ends of the draft fillings to formintermediately-pliable splices in the filling athwart the yieldingsplices of said crooks and straights.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

CHARLES ROSS. Witnesses JOHN D. ABRAM, BURL VAUGHAN.

